Katie Britton

Newbery Honor medalist Jack Gantos is no stranger to writing. He’s been writing since he was child, and as an adult, has engaged readers of all ages with his fictional books and novels. But in 2002 he penned a different story – the story of his life. His memoir Hole in My Life recounts his nail biting, heart breaking, and harrowing journey of smuggling hundreds of pounds of hash from the Virgin Islands to New York City, and his subsequent incarceration in a federal prison.

The past few weeks have been pretty hot – in the high 90’s, so imagine if that’s how it was all year round, and if the air was so bad, you had to wear a mask most of the time, and the government rationed the amount of water, clean air filtered into your home, and food you ate. In Barry Lyga, Peter Facinelli, and Robert DeFranco’sAfter the Red Rain it’s like that, and more.

What most people know about Emily Dickinson’s life is this: she was a poet, reclusive, wore white, and came from a well to do family. But, one fact that may surprise you is that she loved to bake. She would make cakes and have them delivered to people in town, and lower gingerbread in a basket to the waiting children below her window. It’s this premise that helped novelist Nuala O’Connor write Miss Emily.

For the last decade John Green’s novels have engrossed readers as he explore the human condition, and wasn’t afraid to expose the raw feelings that make us who we are, and how we’re connected to those around us. His last novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was an instant success, and was subsequently made into a movie, that also tugged at the heart strings of everyone who read and watched it.

We’re finally getting the hot summers we’re used to and we have some great programming coming up this month that you can listen to while you’re on the road, gardening or barbequing, or just puttering around the house.

Sarah Dessen is the queen of YA lit. She’s the Elin Hilderbrand and Dorothea Benton Frank of summer reads for teens - and it’s for good reason. Every single novel brings you into a world you want to be a part of, to root for love and friendship, and cry over broken hearts and family hardships. Her newest novel, Saint Anything, does just that and so much more.

Summer is finally here! The sweet smell of lilacs is wafting through the neighborhoods, the cardinals and grackles are calling for their mates, and we are planning our vacations. Now, here’s the best part -- you can take us with you wherever you go! Technology is a grand thing… we’re no longer bound to having to lose our favorite station once we leave our homes. All you have to do is plug in your smart phones and bam! WAMC is right there with you.

May is not only the month that leads us into summer, but a time to pay tribute to those who have fought valiantly for our country and freedom. Yes, we should remember these people every day, of course, but we make a special effort on Memorial Day. So on May 25th, Memorial Day, we’ll be bringing you stories of people who have served, and, in some cases, made the ultimate sacrifice for us. I hope their stories will stay with you and that you will share them with others.

When Nova Ren Suma’s debut young adult novel Imaginary Girls landed on the shelves in 2011, the world didn’t know what hit them - all they knew was that they wanted more. And Nova Ren Suma has complied. She followed up with 17 & Gone (another grab you by the heart & run story), and now her newest novel, The Walls Around Us is out, and she’s outdone herself again. The novel’s words tumble off the pages and fill our souls with secrets, guilt, and a whirlwind of emotions as we learn the stories of the living and the dead.